Iron Man 3: 5 things we learned from extended preview - spoilers

Iron Man 3 will kick off an exciting summer for blockbuster fans when it hits cinemas on April 26. Robert Downey's latest big screen outing as billionaire philanthropist Tony Stark sees him facing one of Marvel's most iconic villains: The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley). This time around there's a new director in charge, with Downey Jr bringing in his Kiss Kiss Bang Bang collaborator Shane Black.

Disney and Marvel showcased 20 minutes of footage to journalists this morning (March 26) to whet appetites for the sequel, and here are five things we picked up from the action-packed preview.

Warning: The below information contains spoilers, so if you want to go into the movie fresh, stop scrolling now!

The suit...After taking a battering during the events of The Avengers, Tony Stark has invested in a much-needed armour upgrade. The Mark 42 suit uses advanced nano-technology and can be assembled by Tony using remote synaptic link. This latest iteration doesn't get an easy ride, however, as Tony barely makes it out alive after his home comes under attack from The Mandarin's helicopters. The ability to manipulate the suit through his mind opens up new storytelling possibilities, chief of which involves Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper Potts (more on that later).

The girls...There are clear signs of a love triangle developing between Tony, Pepper and series newcomer Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall, a "botanist pal" and former flame of the superhero). The trio meet at Tony's flash Malibu pad to try and convince him to leave as the threat from Mandarin intensifies. Little is revealed about Maya, but comic fans need look no further than Warren Ellis and Adi Granov's Extremis arc for clues about how her character ties into the movie.

Most intriguingly of all is the sight of Gwyneth Paltrow suiting up in the Mark 42. Tony pulls the armour onto her in order to save her life, giving context to the scenes shown in a recent TV spot. A Pepper Potts Iron Woman spinoff, anyone?!

The villains...Guy Pearce's Aldrich Killian, the scientist who developed a killer virus with Maya Hansen in the Extremis comics arc, is in cahoots with villain The Mandarin's (referred to as 'The Master') nefarious scheme. In the brief clip shown, we get a look at Kingsley's terrorist about to go in front of cameras to record a video message. He's a man who means business, with a curiously intimidating voice that, in truth, doesn't sound like Kingsley at all, bling on every finger and gear adorned with Chinese dragon symbols. Killian's lackeys are told not to make eye contact with The Mandarin - that's how dangerous he is!

The action...Shane Black may be a relative rookie when its comes to directing, but you wouldn't know if from the set pieces on display here. The helicopter assault on Tony's cliffside home pretty much tops anything we've seen before in the Iron Man films - yes, even that incredible Monte Carlo sequence from Iron Man 2.

Tony's ability to rebuild the Mark 42 suit over whoever he wants means it can quickly zip between him and Pepper as missiles reign down on his home. Maya and Pepper make it out of the attack, but the building crumbles and drops into the sea, pulling Tony to the bottom of the Pacific. He's able to free himself, though, and eventually ends up crash-landing in Tennessee as his suit gives out. With this walloping action scene happening early in the film, we're excited to see just what Black has in store for later in the film.

The kid...Down and out in the middle of nowhere, Tony is presumed dead and has to pull his powered-out suit through the snow and find a place to repair it. He winds up at a remote cabin workshop and meets a young boy named Harley (Ty Simpkins). Nothing sets off "jump the shark" alarm bells quite like the introduction of a kid sidekick, but Black handles the interactions between the pair with snappy, witty dialogue, perhaps calling back to the boy-meets-idol idea he explored in the underrated Last Action Hero.

Tony reels off to Harley a list of items he needs to restore his suit (and a tuna sandwich!) in exchange for a gadget that'll help him get the better of school bullies. Harley mentions the absence of his father, also underlining more common ground between him and Tony, still troubled by the death of his dad Howard. Thankfully, none of this story thread looks anywhere near as awkward or misjudged as some involving kids in previous summer blockbusters (here's looking at you, Superman Returns!).